The Young Alchemist
by jojoer123
Summary: Ed and Al are back at Central Headquarters, and they have made a new discovery; another young State Alchemist. Why is the girl so mysterious? Does she have a secret even Colonel Mustang doesn't know? !WARNING! In my story, Hughes is still alive, Ed never went to the other side of the gate, and Al is still a suit of armor.
1. Chapter 1

"I've never seen this picture before." Ed noted, looking at the framed photo on Mustang's desk. "Who is that?"

It was a picture of Mustang standing next to a teenage girl. She had long, auburn hair and purple eyes. Mustang was smiling, something he is rarely doing in pictures, and the girl was wearing his military hat, which was way too big for her.

"You haven't heard the stories about Mustang's daughter?" Havoc asked with a smile.

"Mustang has a daughter?!"

"No, he doesn't." Hawkeye glared at Havoc. "He is like a father-figure to Reina, but he isn't actually her father."

"So, who is she?"

"The youngest person to ever become a state alchemist, and one of the most talented alchemists I know."

"Oh. What are the stories?"

"There are lots of rumors about how she came to Central, though few of them are true."

"Like one," Havoc started. "Says that Reina is Mustang's long lost daughter from a high school sweetheart."

"You were there when we found her." Hawkeye reminded him.

"So? That doesn't mean I don't listen to the gossip."

"What actually happened?" Al asked.

"We were investigating a possibly rogue alchemist. He had been on the military's watch list for years, so he got annual check ups. The second to last time we visited him, the door was answered by a six year old girl. There was no record of him having a child, so we weren't happy. We confronted him about her. He said his wife had died just after the last check up so, before then, he had no reason to tell us. We didn't have a choice but to wait another year for more questions. When we went back, the girl had a black eye. Mustang asked her what happened, and she glanced at her father and gave us an excuse that was obviously rehearsed. With more investigating, we found several more bruises and lacerations on the poor little girl. Her father was practically mad at that point. He confessed his intentions when he got married and was put to death. Poor kid… Anyhow, Mustang took her in, and became her legal guardian. He found her to be quite skilled in alchemy, and talked the counsel into letting her take the state alchemist test. She was ten, but still aced the written test, the psychological evaluation, and the practical evaluation."

"What were her father's intentions?" Ed wondered.

"He was turned down by the state when he tried to become a State Alchemist, so he wanted to take down the military. His ancestors were extremely skilled alchemists, so a child of his would have lots of potential. He did more research and found a young woman with an equally powerful family and married her. They planned to have a baby, whom he was going to train to help him fight the state. When a girl was born, he was furious. In his mind, only a son could help him. He murdered his wife when the child was two, then abused her until she was seven. He was crazy, but succeeded in getting a powerful child. The only thing that backfired is Reina's love and dedication to the military."

"That's horrible."

"Don't pity her." Havoc warned. "She doesn't like pity, and could kick your butt in a fight."

"Good to know." Ed mumbled.

"Though you may be able to relate to her." Hawkeye thought aloud. "She has an automail arm and leg."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. If she was in the military before me, why am I just now hearing about her? And why haven't we met?"

"She's one of Mustang's best alchemists, so she's always off fighting a problem. If you had ever asked about her, anyone would have told you."

"Oh. What's her state name?"

"The Armed Element Alchemist." Havoc said it with a smile. "She specializes in elements like metals and stuff with atomic numbers, and she has yet to be beat in a fight, so she also specializes in combat."

Mustang walked in. He frowned at Ed standing behind his desk. "What are you doing in here, Fullmetal?"

"Learning about Armed Element." Ed stated.

"Oh?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me you have a daughter?"

"She's not technically my daughter."

"Why didn't you ever tell me _anything _about her?"

"You never asked. Speaking of Reina, when is she coming home?"

"Haven't heard anything." Riza told him. "She sent in reports last week confirming that she is still alive and is making progress on an assignment you gave her, but nothing else."

"Progress? Really?"

"That's what she said. What did you tell her to do?"

"Nothing that is important right now. I hope she comes back soon. It's been over a year since she left."

"You missed her sixteenth birthday too." Havoc pointed out.

"Dang it! I hadn't even thought about that."


	2. Chapter 2

Ed asked a few more people about the mysterious Reina. He got a different story each time, but the same description of her personality.

"So what do you know about the Armed Element Alchemist?" He asked Hughes.

"Reina? She's a fun kid."

Same as always.

"Really smart. And talented with alchemy."

Same.

"Kinda reminds me of Mustang; confident, devoted, stubborn, but with a splash of charisma and joy. She's like a small package of happiness."

That one was different.

"A small package of happiness?" Al asked.

"Yeah. Nobody can be upset when they're around Reina. Unless they're fighting her…"


End file.
